The Ties That Bind
by SadaraLochlan
Summary: A Solok/T'Pel story for my friend, ScarlettBrandi. T'Pel is used with permission.


**This fic is based on a friend's OC, T'Pel who is a Vulcan/Betazoid hybrid and Captain Solok from the DS9 episode Take Me Out to the Holosuite. My friend is hoping for more readers and reviewers so with her permission I'm trying to help gain her a little more exposure with this short fic. She has provided a lot of guidance in making certain I'm writing her characters as accurately and true to her vision as possible so in that sense she is a co-author.**

**For her stuff: s/9445222/1/Part-Two-The-USS-T-Kumbra-A-Trip-Home**

The brief blast of unbridled emotion slammed into T'Pel like the blunt end of a Lirpa. She staggered to a halt against the wall in the corridor, dazed and disoriented. The coolness of the wall was a welcome buffer against the fiery onslaught of emotion. For what seemed an eternity she leaned against the wall, onyx eyes squeezed shut as she took deep breaths and willed calm over the sudden disruption of her being.

As soon as the emotional whirlwind began it was over; and the Vulcan/Betazoid hybrid opened her eyes, remembering her location and praising whatever deities existed that no one amongst the all Vulcan crew of the USS T'Kumbra had witnessed her lack of control. Had anyone experienced the sudden onslaught of emotion as well they might have told her the cause was sufficient, but T'Pel had always been critical of herself, believing that her Vulcan and Betazoid halves worked against each other. The Vulcans favored emotional control while Betazoids believed in emotional expression. It was a contradictory combination to be certain. She'd often wondered how her parents had even come to have regular conversations much less marriage and children. "Opposites attract" the Humans were fond of saying. An observation likely lacking in empirical science, but her parents seemed to be perfect examples of the phenomenon.

Straightening up, T'Pel analyzed the experience as any Vulcan worthy of being called such would. As was wont to happen due to her Betazoid half, the emotions she experienced had not been hers. Perfecting her telepathic shields had been a lifelong struggle and while she had seen much progress, sometimes the emotions of others still got through.

As she scrutinized the jarring experience, she sorted and catalogued the emotions and sensations she had received. Frustration, anger, and resentment fought for dominance in the being of whoever was projecting like this.

_But for what?_ She wondered. And then she felt the raging inferno of intense sexual urges and her question was answered. A Vulcan aboard ship had entered his Time and was projecting quite strongly. The anger and resentment was the natural reaction of most Vulcans to the loss of control experienced during Pon Farr. Perhaps full Vulcans with their shields might not have sensed it, but T'Pel's Betazoid half left her maddeningly more vulnerable.

Releasing a final deep breath, T'Pel felt her world right itself once more and she continued her trek down to sickbay to discuss crew psychological evaluations with the T'Kumbra's chief medical officer, Larkin. The joys of being double slotted as a science officer and ship's counselor.

Upon arrival, she found Larkin examining the T'Kumbra's commanding officer, Captain Solok and so she hung back in order to preserve their privacy. The door hissed shut behind her alerting her senior officers to her presence and Solok turned to look at her, his bright blue eyes wide and glowing with the fever.

T'Pel was standing near the entrance to sickbay. Her composure had reasserted itself and she looked quite put together in the standard Starfleet uniform. The uniform, though comfortable and loose still clung to her curves, accentuating her tiny waist and full hips perfect for bearing children. His children. She was slightly taller than the average Vulcan woman. It dawned on the T'Kumbra's commanding officer that he had yet to see T'Pel with her ebony hair loose about her shoulders. He almost always only saw her on duty and her hair was always neatly styled in a braided updo. He appreciated the neatness of the style as it kept her hair out of her face while she worked; a logical decision given the unpredictable nature of life in Starfleet.

His gaze raked over her body with unbridled lust and Dr. Larkin shifted uncomfortably next to him, tricorder in hand. Solok's expression plainly said that she was his or would be very soon. The ebony haired Vulcan/Betazoid female didn't miss the involuntary shudder that coursed through her captain's body and to her dismay and confusion, felt her own body echo his.

_But that's impossible! For my body to be so fully paralleling his struggle with the pon farr we would have to be bonded. And we've never been bonded… unless there was some mishap, but when? And how?_

The knowledge of T'Pel's realization of their bond pierced Solok's hazy thoughts with such stark clarity that he growled low and menacingly at Doctor Larkin, catching Larkin gazing at T'Pel with barely concealed longing as well. Solok had long suspected his CMO harbored feelings for Vulcan/Betazoid hybrid. Before entering pon farr, Solok had found the thought to be somewhat amusing and at the same time threatening given Solok's own attraction to his ship's counselor. The bond made it imperative that the elder Vulcan stake his claim now that he had entered pon farr. His very life depended on T'Pel accepting him as her bondmate.

Solok had been aware of the low level bond for some time, but had not known how to broach the subject with T'Pel, especially in light of the emotional traumas she had suffered on Vulcan at the hands of a vengeful and quite psychopathic Betazoid a few short months previous. Pon farr now left him no choice.

Larkin's thin, slanted eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his commanding officer's threatening growl.

"I know of your feelings for T'Pel," Solok said darkly. "She and I have shared a low level bond for some time though I have only recently become aware of it. I cannot take another so long as the bond exists and as we lack sufficient time to return to Vulcan to dissolve it, the logical solution is that she becomes my wife. I wish her to be my wife regardless. It would be logical for you to accept this and find another."

Larkin glanced away from Solok before his captain and longtime friend could see the shame coloring the compassionate doctor's handsome face. It was difficult enough to admit to emotions, but to have his own friend point out the utter futility of his feelings for T'Pel all but threatened to send Larkin fleeing to the dark comfort of his own quarters for an intense meditation session.

"Understood," Larkin forced out through nearly clenched teeth as Solok slid off the biobed and approached T'Pel, who was still rooted to the spot near the entry to sickbay. Larkin had no desire to see Solok dead, especially not in the grizzly, prolonged end that pon farr seemed to enjoy inflicting on its unfortunate victims, but he also had no wish to see Solok with T'Pel either. If Solok did indeed have a bond with T'Pel then it was Larkin's duty as Solok's friend and Chief Medical Officer to step aside and allow nature to take its course. He could challenge Solok for her, but in Vulcan culture such a challenge would be seen in poor taste and it would mean that either Larkin or Solok would end up dead as a result of the combat. T'Pel, also a longtime friend of both of them, would only be hurt by such selfishness on the males' parts. To do no harm was the first and most important aspect of life working in the medical field. Interfering with Solok and T'Pel during Solok's pon farr would most certainly cause harm.

Solok's body shuddered violently as he tried to summon some control over his more base impulses. The small, rational part of him drowned out by the torrential, uncontrollable onslaught of emotion cried out that he was being too harsh with his good friend. Compassion though had never been his strong suit even when he wasn't overwhelmed by the ferocity of the pon farr.

Looking back toward the entrance to sickbay, Solok gasped in dismay. Larkin's head snapped up in reflex and followed Solok's gaze to the entrance to sickbay.

T'Pel was gone.


End file.
